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boguslava
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Homework Statement
The nucleus of beryllium with mass number 8 decays into two alpha particles. The nuclear masses are M(8Be)=7456.6 MeV/c^2 and m(4He)=3727.4 MeV/c2. Assume that 8Be decays at rest and that we can neglect the atomic electrons. We are asked to find
a) the kinetic energy of each of the alpha particles
b) at what fraction of the speed of light is each outgoing alpha particle moving
Homework Equations
for a) I am using that the Kinetic energy equals the ratio of the alpha particle to the beryllium multiplied by the energy released as heat; KE=4/8xQ
for b) I am using the standard definition of KE=mv^2/2
The Attempt at a Solution
I am finding that the kinetic energy is 1864.6MeV for part a) and I am using this answer along with the mass of helium, which is 4u, to find the speed of the alpha particle. However, my calculation ends up showing that the alpha particle is moving with the speed of light. Is this realistic?